Eliminator - Breaking the Wheel (2008)

   Before Eliminator caused an intense "WTF?" reaction with their late not really unified experimenting albums, they've recalled the feeling of the '80s with a very nostalgic speed/thrash debut.
   The recipe was exactly the same like 20 years earlier, and even in sound "Breaking the Wheel" may fit well on the side of the most famous Bay Area thrash albums. The difference is that Eliminator's music was more complex and sounded like the speed/thrash bands after many years of routine and development. Extreme speed in themes and solo parts and higher diversity. Blast beats and frequently returning cawing/growling-like vocal pushed their music further to a more aggressive level, so all together the album isn't far to be called as experimenting. Still it keeps staying between the borders of the style. It was almost like a band that probably many old school metal fans were looking for since a while, except... The frequently returning problem with bands who are musically so skilled at the beginning, that they can reproduce the highest quality of a style with no sweat is, that they will probably switch style very soon (like what actually happenned in the case of Eliminator). They're seeking further challenges in progression or/and in experimenting, or just starting to play something more popular if they didn't find the previous style enough profitable. In both cases they're losing most of their audience, so it's like a complete restart for a band.

Sapremia - With Winter Comes Despair (2008)

   Sapremia doesn't count as a newbie band either, since they were formed in the early '90s. During their few years of active period they had 2 demo tapes which were lately released on the compilation album "Subconscious Existence" about decade later, when they have returned.
   On "With Winter Comes Despair" a very mature sounding death metal can be heard, that kept the old school roots, but also shows an example about modern sound. If it's about influences, their music suspects wider range now than in the demo tapes era. Similar melodies that are sometimes returning on the album are more common to find in Finnish death metal, and the song structures are reminding sometimes to the Swedish scene. These features gave an interesting character to their music, and of course the changes that happened meanwhile in the main scene since the early '90s also had some effect on them. This proves that they didn't spend the past decade hiding in a cave in deep isolation, that's somehow impossible to not expect if it's about old bands and musicians, especially if they're keeping their activity and are well-known in metal (it's a paradox, but true).  "With Winter Comes Despair" might be enjoyable for both the fans of the old school and the modern sound of death metal.

Faithxtractor - Razing the World of Myth (2008)

   Faithxtractor formed as an ambitious old school death metal band, and their full-lenght debut served well as a reminder to show what was missing since over a decade long from the main metal scene.
   Their music is an enjoyable re-interpretation of the early '90s death metal, and doesn't sound like a schematic copy of some of their old favorites. So even though the musical influences are clear, they focused more on self-expression than simply recalling something that was heard before. In their case this was represented in the various selection of themes and the tryings to look for further possibilities. The album title shows up in three different songs, and forming together an exciting and diverse whole. It was even better if they were recorded the three as one song, the complexity only had good influence on the main impression. It's clear while listening that it's not a band of young, unexperienced musicians, "Razing the World of Myth" counts as a high quality death metal album. The excellent selection and combination of old school themes, catchy melodies and intensity puts this album close to the modern sound of death metal without reducing the effects of it's early '90s roots. 

Father Befouled - Obscurus Nex Cultus (2008)

   Father Befouled would be in big trouble if they had to prove that they're not Incantation addicted.
   The band plays the most obscure aspect of blasphemous death metal; a noisy, doom influenced and definitely not audience-friendly style, that was first introduced by Incantation. Even the guitar themes (that are lacking melodies completely) and heavy slow downs are strongly referring to their main metal idol, not to mention the deep growling vocal. The difference is that Father Befouled preferred longer lasting and more common slow downs that gave a very intense death/doom impression to the album. This of course didn't make their music easier to go into. The noisy, almost blackened sounding guitars combined with the strong echo effect created an atmosphere that's obscure and horroristic the same way. It's interesting because atmosphere creating is basically not the main purpose of this style, and those who are used to emotional-loaded atmospheric sound, may not even recognize this one. That's because by the lack of melodies it's demoralizing effect starts at the mind by causing brain damage. Their music is mainly recommended for Incantation fans.

Skincrawler - Lair of the Foul (2008)

   To recall the style and atmosphere of the earliest extreme metal tryings of the '80s was a commonly returning feature at bands who showed up with the New Wave of Old School Death Metal.
   Skincrawler's one and only album reminds to early Celtic Frost by it's levitation above the borders of different genres, that was usual in the '80 when extreme metal styles were just about to develop. The songs were put together from simple, basic themes, and to increase the old school feeling, many would fit even into punk music in the case of a softer sound. The whole album sounds raw, like if it was an experimenting project, even the vocal style is like between shouting and narrative performance, that's only a step away from growling. That also gives the impression like if to combine the vocal with the music was somehow random and not completely figured out how to manage it. Except the pioneer bands of the '80s it's possible to find similar difficulities at very young teen bands. Maybe it's not necessary to seperate the two, since the musicians who have created the earliest classics were not much older, but those were different times. Skincrawler definitely didn't represent the case of amateurism, since it was a short living project of Mr. Elektrokutioner, whose name is inevitable to avoid when it's about the late '00s/early '10s American death metal scene because of the numerous bands he appeared in. He played on all instruments, and if his goal was to time travel back to the roots of metal extremities, he succeded.

Gomorrah - Gomorrah (2008)

   Gomorrah was formed in the early '90s and sinked into oblivion without anything left behind to hand down. This was changed afterwards in the form of this compilation, that collects their several demo and rehearsal records during their short existence.
   By listening it's easy to realize that it was definitely worth to release these songs, because the band was ahead of it's time. Most were recorded in 1991-2, when the competition of speed and brutality was the most noticeable in the golden age of death metal. Only a few bands took the opposite way, to slow down as much as possible, and to build on the effectiveness of simple, repetitive heavy themes and sound. The exaggeratedly depressing and obscure feeling that Gomorrah reached, only could be compared to Winter, because their music also could count as some proto-funeral doom, but one step closer to that style. It was noisier and more atmospheric than Winter, and also includes the constantly down pulling, hopeless main impression, that is so usual in funeral doom. Still, it's not like an introduction of a passive, slowly decaying vegetative status. This is something more intense (on death/doom scale) in a way of giving a slowly destructive, netherworldish impression. The sound of rehearsal quality and the atmosphere are mainly responsible for the funeral doom-like touch. Even though the band didn't have the chance to be influental and to become one of the heralds of a new style, still they were in a way, unknown in the depths of underground. Therefore their music was quite extraordinary and showed something new that didn't exist before in this form.

Aldebaran - ...from Forgotten Tombs (2008)

   Aldebaran was formed in 2003 and became known as sludge/doom metal band that sounds more similar to a funeral doom/death metal band.
   It took some time until their late sound evolved, and the beginning part of it's development, their debut single and a split album appearence was re-released on this compilation. The band have started at the very basics, with the raw, noisy and raw punk influenced old school style of sludge metal, that referred back to bands like Buzzov•en and Eyehategod. Shortly after on their first split album they involved doom influences and wrote longer songs, which had a heavier effect already, but didn't lose the basic sludgy themes. Growling-like vocal showed up too on the side of the cawing shouting style. Their lyrical topics are also more death metal related, since they were horror inspired, and that seems to explain the unusual further slow down lately: in their case the music adjusted to the lyrical concept. The main impression is still more like chilling like at stoner/doom bands, since at the doom metal themes they also turned back to the classics. Recommended for the fans of sludgy doom.

Deadbird - Twilight Ritual (2008)

   Deadbird debuted as a sludge/doom band with an album, that was like an audience-friendlier version of sludge with stoner rock influences. Calm and simple melodic interruptions with clear singing turned their music further into a softer direction, and their music had a quite positive feeling compared to other bands of the genre.
   On their returning album "Twilight Ritual" better quality and heavier sound could be noticed, darker tone, and more desperate soft interruptions. All-round more effective than before, and the noisier sound pushed them closer to ordinary sludge, and gave a less bright frame to their message. The stoner influences are still there, and also the impression that tells that their music is more like uplifting than down-pulling, because it doesn't collapse under the pressure of unwanted life issues like sludge does in general by the assistance of intense self-destruction. At Deadbird there's hope and alwas some rise up after the downfalls. The atmoshpere is mainly responsible for that, because it has an emotional load, even if it's not so strong like at bands who enjoy to operate with similar effects. The atmosphere also became the part of the sludgy sound so much, that the two cannot be seperated. As one they've created a balance that reduced each other's intensity. "Twilight Ritual" isn't an ordinary album and could be enjoyable for the fans of the mentioned styles.

Grey - Sisters of the Wyrd (2008)

It might be quite difficult to keep a girl band together, since metal bands with full female line-up are usually short living. Therefore it's always appreciating when similar projects showing up, and for collectors it's recommended to act soon as possible if they want to purchase something from them.
   Grey's one and only album starts quite atmospheric, that already suspects some dark witchery and paganism-related concept, if the title and the cover art didn't serve enough well as a hint. Soon the well awaited heavy and slowly bouncing, repetitive doom metal themes are evolving with the assistane of deep growling. On the side of the vocal style the death metal influences are represented in the noisy, heavy sound. The band preferred to keep the doom speed. This combination of death and doom metal is based of simplicity, and refers back to the very essence of the style, that is also it's most efffective form. Their frequently returning slow, sorrowful melodies are well composed, and kind of funeral ceremony-compatible too. These serve as some interrupting easement in the middle of the heavy, dark feeling that haunts through the album. There are some deviant sounding depths based on the distorted sound and musical minimalism that they've reached occasionally, but unfortunately they didn't play for long. Except this tiny thing, "Sisters of the Wyrd" is a death/doom masterpiece, and showed a different aspect of the same main concept that shEver also introduced. The analogy is interesting because the two bands probably didn't even know about each other, but still they've created something similar.

Burning Witch - Crippled Lucifer (2008)

   Burning Witch was formed on the ruins of the very promising, but unfortunately short lived project Thorr's Hammer. Burning Witch also didn't last for so long, but all their songs were re-released on a double CD compilation to make life easier for the fans who have lost the line meanwhile.
   Their music might sounded surprising if anyone expected something similar to Thorr's Hammer. The only feature that stayed was the intense doom influence, but even though they were never known about their bright, cheering up sound, with Burning Witch they went forward by creating a so obscure and desperate image, that is so far from the term "audience-friendly" as it's possible. The mix of pain, hatred and suffering is reflecting from their noisy sludge/doom sound, that came from a high level of self-destruction by heavy drug abuse. This of course counts as usual in sludge metal, but their music reached a certain border by the noisy sound and  disharmony, that's not reachable for anyone; and the assistance of the screaming/cawing vocal performance is also quite impressive. The main view is albe to ruin the nerves of the listener and to summon really bad feelings meanwhile. The way how they introduced the depths of self-made suffering may be suitable to use on group therapies to show to junkies how miserable, endlessly sick and unbearable they can become. But for those who may find this kind of instant brain damage enjoyable, "Crippled Lucifer" will not cause any disappointment.

Acid Witch - Witchtanic Hellucinations (2008)

   Acid Witch debuted with an excellent concept album that leads through the old supersticious beliefs about witches - of course from a horror based aspect like if they really had infernal bond with the dark forces.
   But the album is not genuine only by it's concept, but in the musical performance too, that mixes psychedelic stoner sound with catchy, but still hell deep doom metal themes and some death metal influences. Similar combination is not common to find, and it's biggest advantage is that while the themes are audience friendlier than ordinary death/doom, they still don't lose from their effective heaviness. The album is chilling and heavy the same time, as the band have found the middle way between the two by simple themes that are telling more together as a whole, than seperately. The atmosphere summons an obscure feeling that may fit well as a soundtrack to a sick horror film too (if film makers would like this style). The lead guitars are catchy and sounding like if they came straight from the Netherworld. For the vocals Lasse Pyykkö was invited, whos extreme deep growling is also knowns from Hooded Menace. Even though witches, horror and drug abuse are returning topics at the band, "Witchtanic Hellucinations" was so unified and well-composed and the lyrics are representing a so expert level about witches, that it might be hard to not take it as a concept album. A masterpiece, that's might be compatible with the the taste of stoner, doom and death metal fans too.